Irken or Human? The sequel to Invader Dib
by Invader Xenial
Summary: Not knowing whether Zee is dead or alive, Dib, Hail, Gangali and Isidar need to find Zim, because he is the only one that has a chance against Red and Yawe. But they meet a new member, one who has faced as much terror as any of them. They all hope to find Zim, but Zee's time is ticking away, and the Empire grows ever stronger.
1. Chapter 1

Dib raced through the halls of the Resistance ship, the Resisty, avoiding awkward questions, aliens demanding where their leader was. The small cone-like alien, Shloonktapooxis, was trying to answer them as best he could, but the poor creature was confused and scared. Dib, having not been in the confusing meeting, but merely watched in in his mind, was spared from most of the questions, although some aliens actually tried to grab him.  
He raced down to the boarding dock, where he found a bored looking alien with a hood covering its face leaning on a wall. The cloak it was wearing was so big it covered every inch of its body, and trailed on the floor behind it.

"E-excuse, m-me?" Dib panted, stopping in front of the hooded alien. It looked up and stared at him, or at something near him, with the hood it was difficult to tell.  
"Where is t-the Smeetling's V-Voot cruiser?" He asked, trying to catch his breath.  
The alien still stared at him, then jerked it's head to the side, and started to walk away. Dib hurried to follow, and tripped over his own feet. Catching himself, he found the alien staring at him, then it raised it's head, sniffed rudely, and marched away.

In the light, Dib thought he saw a flash of blue.

He ran after the alien, following it through many doors, where tired-looking aliens, chatted over a plate of yellow glop. Dib shuddered as the goo tried to move. He saw the hooded alien a few steps away, pointing to a dark room. He nodded in thanks, and tried to step past the alien into the room. The alien threw out its arm to stop him, and Dib was knocked back winded. It's arm was unnaturally hard. The alien glanced behind him, then grabbed Dib by his collar and threw him into the room. He hit the floor hard, and wheezed. He had not quite caught his breath when the alien slammed the door behind them, and switched on the light. In the corner of the room stood a sapphire Voot cruiser, with tinted windows and a strange word written across the side. Dib saw the alien walking towards him out of the corner of his eye, and scrambled to his feet, expecting another attack. The alien stopped, then spoke, in a clear, familiar voice.  
"Your head is as big as she told me." It turned away, striding over to the ship that must be Isidar.

Dib was shocked, not by the words, but by the voice. "Zee? I thought you were captured!"

Zee stopped, her gloved hand on the Voot. "She is."

"She? You mean you?" Dib said, confused. "You can't be, you're right here!"

Zee turned to face Dib, and pulled down her hood. It was certainly Zee, but her face was undamaged, clear, and impassive.  
"I am not Zee, I am Isidar."

"I don't understand." Dib said. "Isidar is Zee's ship. Her psychelia. She isn't a... a robot."

"I understand how this is confusing." Said the Irkenoid. "You have learned a great deal in a small amount of time. But here is not where we discuss such matters. We must escape." The Noid spoke in strange, constricted tones, ones that tried to stay flat, but cracked on certain words.

"First human, tell me something that only the real Dib would know." She continued.  
"Why?" Dib demanded, suspicious.

"To make sure you are not, in fact, Yawe in disguise." Isidar said, her blue eyes narrowing.

"Fine. When Zim first arrived, I tried to catch him with Alien Sleep Cuffs. Now, tell ME something only Zee or... you would know."

Isidar smiled Zee's soft grin, the one she used when Dib came to visit her for the last time. "Zee kissed you." She said softly.

Dib felt his cheeks become hot. "Alright, we're both who we say we are. How do we leave then?"

"That part is simple." Isidar said, pulling her hood back up and turning to the ship. "The crew is in a panic, searching for their true leader. I have posed as a guard for some time, and we will not attract suspicion."

Isidar then sprouted mechanical legs from her PAK and rose over the ship. She began to chant, in a strange tongue. As she spoke, the glass cover opened and revealed a cushy pilot seat, surrounded by twinkling blue buttons. She retracted her legs and fell into the seat, and began pressing the buttons so fast she might have been typing on a computer. The floor under the seat opened up, and she sank beneath the buttons, appearing to disappear. The seat came back up, but the robot wasn't sitting on it anymore.

"Um, Isidar?" Dib called, walking over to the ship tentatively.

"Oh, get in." Her voice called back, seeming to come from the seat. "It's fine. I'm in my room."

"Right. Your room." Dib said, climbing into the seat, which was very comfortable. "Let's go then."

The glass cover fell down over Dib's head, and closed with a snap. The ship hummed, then began to rise into the air slowly. It started to shake, then crashed to the floor with a bang.

"What happened?" Dib gasped, grabbing the cushy chair tightly.

"They connected us with chains. Hold on, I can break them." Isidar said, and the ship jerked upwards, and stopped, shuddering with exertion. Dib looked over the side and saw thick, glowing yellow chains connecting the ship to the floor. With a powerful wrench, the chains snapped. Instantly, a deafening alarm founded overhead, a hundred times louder than any Earth sound. Dib pressed his hands to the side of his head to cover his ears, then remembered he had none. Desperately trying to escape the sound, he grabbed his antennae. The alarm seemed to stop instantly, there was no sound at all. Dib released his antennae, then quickly grabbed them again. The alarm was still on, but he became deaf when he held on to the antennae.

_They're called flicks._  
Gang said smugly.  
_What?_  
_Your "antennae". They're called flicks._  
_That's ridiculous. Who named them that?_  
_Hey, you're Irken now. You need to learn their slang._  
_Go away._

Dib shook his head, clearing it, then became aware of the many guards shooting lasers at the Voot, which was floating several feet in the air. It shot over them, speeding down the hallway. Several crew members just watched, while others began to shoot too. One laser accidentally hit a button on the wall, opening up an entire wall, revealing another wall behind it, with windows showing Earth. The Voot sped into it, but the crew members hung back, looking fearful. Dib knew why a moment later, as the wall shut so fast it could have cut a body in two. The wall with windows on it opened, and the Voot shot out into space, past Earth and into the stars. Dib glanced a look back at the planet, and knowing, without knowing how he knew, that he would not return there for a very long time.

_Inside the Massive.._.

Zee woke up in a dark room, shackled to a chair sitting in front of a table. The only light was a glowing orb, suspended in the air. The last thing she remembered was Yawe, disguised as Lard Nar, grabbing her and beaming out of the Resisty's ship. She sat up straight, fear rushing through her body.

_Where was Isidar?_  
Zee sent out a thought,_ Isidar? Are you there?_  
No reply.  
_Ok._ Zee thought. _My psychelia is either dead, or too far away for me to reach. My next option is Hail._  
Zee concentrated on her PAK, and tried to send out a spy-bot, an invisible flying robot that could be controlled with her mind, but her thoughts were jumbled, and she couldn't do anything.  
Panicking, Zee struggled against her shackles, a dry tears forming in her eyes.

"It's no use." He said from a corner of the room.  
Zee stopped, her fear growing rapidly. She heard him approach her, saw his figure as he came closer to the light.

"It's been a while my dear." He sneered, crossing his arms.  
"S-sure has." Zee said, hating the frightened stutter in her voice. "Then again," she continued, her voice getting stronger. "I didn't think you cared."

And he laughed, a cold harsh laugh. He came closer, and leaned in, so that she saw every inch of his face.

"You are quite right. I don't. And I don't think anybody has. Which makes killing you way more satisfying." He grinned a terrible grin, identical to the one Yawe used while torturing her.

"If you were going to kill me, you would have done it at the Resisty." She replied, her voice cold. "And there are people who care about me. One of them," here she smirked. "Is my dear Uncle Purple."

He hissed, in the way only Irkens can, drawing back, his teeth bared. He knew it was true, he had seen it in his eyes when she was born.

"I will kill you." He said, drawing nearer to her, his ruby eyes flashing. "No matter what Purple says. You are only alive now because of him and your pathetic human's orders! You will die, and the Empire will live."

"Is that anyway to treat your niece, Uncle Red?" Zee sneered, smirking at him. "I don't care if I die. There are good people willing to die to stop you. And not just from the Resisty."

"You know nothing." Red hissed. "Nothing! There is no good, there is no evil, only power! You never knew this, that's why I had to place your name on hundreds of Invaded planets, to make it look like you actually invaded something!"

"I never wanted to Invade!" Zee screamed, spraying Red's face with spit, tears running down her face. "I don't want anyone to suffer! Irkens are not superior!"

Red glared at her then spoke in a cold, heartless, terrifying tone. "Irkens are power. That is what we thrive for. That is what we live for. And if you think differently, you are a defect. And defects are weak."

Red stood up, walked around the table, behind Zee, and grabbed her PAK.  
"Such a pretty colour." He whispered, his long finger tracing one of the pink buttons. In a swift movement, before she could protest, before she could move, he dug his two fingers into the crack at the top of the grey, circular half crescent, and ripped off her PAK.


	2. Chapter 2

Dib tore his gaze away from Earth, and sank into the blue seat. A button flashed on the dash board, and a single beam of light shot out of it, and expanded, until a hologram of Isidar was sitting on the dashboard, smiling at Dib.

"How are you doing this?" Dib asked. "Zee told me you were her ship, not her Noid, or whatever. And what about the hologram?"

"Since we have a bit of time until Hail gets here, I'll explain everything you need to know." She said, relaxing a bit. "Zee did make me her ship, but I made a Noid for myself, in her image, so I could walk about freely. Now, I can control both the ship and this body. As I am flying the ship, I can only speak to you in a hologram."

"And… Who is Yawe?" Dib said, leaning back in his chair.

Isidar's expression hardened. "You need to understand, psychelia are made to serve our masters, and correct them if they are doing wrong, like a conscience. However, the last generation of psychelia are doing the opposite, as of Operation Impending Doom 1 and 2. They are encouraging their Irkens to invade, conquer, and destroy entire civilizations, as of Tallest Red and Yawe's orders. I have reason to suspect that Yawe is the one who made the calibration in the Smeeteries so the psychelia would become evil."

"This, uh, Operation." Dib said. "Is that why Zee and Zim were sent to Earth? The Irkens haven't always done this?"

"Oh, the Irkens are an aggressive race, sure." Isidar said nonchalantly. "But yes, this behavior is very recent. With every five Irkens, there is a chance one of them develops a defective quirk, say they are born blind, or their mind is unstable. A newer defection is learning to love. Can you think of any Irkens who possess these traits?" She smiled.

"Zim's insane." Dib said, without hesitation. "No question."

Isidar sighed softly. "And my Zee has learned to love. I thought you'd notice that, considering…"

Dib blushed, and she continued. "Our ally, Hail, is blind. When an Irken is seen to have a defection, they are exiled from society, and/or killed."

Dib wasn't really listening. _Love? Zee can't love, she's killed before. She was going to destroy Earth._

_Doubtful. _Gangali sniggered.

_Oh, shut up you._

"Where are we going?" Dib asked, becoming aware that the ship was moving rather fast.

"We're going to meet Hail at a distant planet, out of your solar system." Isidar said. "I would suggest traveling at light speed to meet him in time, if you are comfortable."

"Sure!" Dib said excitedly. He sat up, waiting to see the stars race past as Isidar faded away. He looked out the window, and saw little black dots appearing in the corners of his eyes. Before he could clear his head, he blacked out.

_A few hours later…_

Isidar landed on a grey, deserted planet, and opened her hatch, revealing a sleping Dib. Hail was leaning on his ship, his grey eyes fixed on the little Irken. He walked up to the blue Voot.

"Is this him?" He asked, staring blankly at the ship's side.

_"Yes." _Isidar said, lifting him out of the ship by metallic claws, and lowered him on the ground. "_We traveled by light speed, so naturally his psychelia knocked him out."_

Dib stirred at the sound of her voice, and looked up at the grey-eyed Irken.

"Who're you?" He asked groggily. "What's with your eyes?"

Hail bristled, and grabbed Him by the throat, lifting him off the ground. With his free hand, he began slamming his fist into Dib's face, one punch in his blue eye, one on his forehead, and many on his cheeks. He let him go after a minute of this, and Dib staggered, holding his swollen eye.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN?" He cried, glaring at the tall Irken.

"Half of that was because you captured Zee." He growled, stepping closer to Dib. "The other half was because I don't like anybody making fun of me."

Dib glared at the Irken. Behind him, he heard giggling. He looked over his shoulder to see Isidar, as a Noid, laughing at his wounds. Dib marched over to her, and she smiled at him.

"I see you've met Hail."

"I am NOT," Dib growled. "Going to work with him."

"You have to hyuman." Hail said, his arms crossed. "If you want to save your planet."

Dib glared at the grey-eyed Irken. "And how exactly are we going to do that?"

"We find Zim. He's the only one that Red fears." Hail said, walking back to his Voot. "Once we have Zim, We rescue Zee. Isidar," He called over his shoulder. "I assume she said plan B?"

"Yes."

"Then it's settled." He said, opening the door and revealing his weapons.

He grabbed the nearest one and turned back to Dib. "And if you ever hurt Zee again," He said, walking up to him. "I will rip out your heart, and feed it to her idiotic SIR unit."

Dib gulped. Hail glared at him, then stepped back.

"Zim will be hiding. He ran away before Zee was captured." He said, turning to Isidar. "He will be in the last place anyone will ever look."

Isidar nodded. "Do you know where that is? You knew him best."

Hail smiled for the first time. "Most people think he'd just fly away to a different place on Earth, to hide until he got over it. He doesn't get over things; he tracks them down and kills them. Since this "thing" is the Empire, he'll be in hiding, where no one can find him."

"Where's that?" Dib asked.

Hail looked at him. "Zim went to the last place anyone would expect to find him, didn't I already say that? He's on Foodcourtia."


	3. Chapter 3

Dib walked through the busy streets of Foodcourtia, following Hail closely. Beside him, Isidar was dressed in the long coat he met her in, so no one could see her face. Dib didn't know where they were going, but he didn't dare ask. Hail might be blind, but he was still scary. Hail led them into a shop named _Shloogorgh's, _which was crowded with strange aliens. In the back, Dib could see a giant Irken yelling at its workers. Hail led them to the front of the register.

"Can we see Sizz-Lorr please?" He asked the tiny Irken. He nodded and rushed to the back of the shop. The giant Irken stomped out, looking angry. His face brightened when he saw Hail.

"Hail!" The giant Irken boomed. Shaking Hail's hand, which looked tiny in his grasp.  
"Good to see you, old friend. How may I help you?"

"Good to see you too, Sizz-Lorr." Hail said, beaming. "Has Zim returned to your shop?"

The giant Irken grinned. "Yes, indeed! No one escapes Sizz-Lorr, except for Hail! I have him in the back, believe it or not, he came back willingly!"

"Can we see him?" Dib asked, peeping over Hail's shoulder.

Sizz-Lorr's expression hardened. "I'm afraid not. He is banished here, and he isn't allowed breaks."

"Can you make an exception?" Isidar said. "We need to ask a favour."

"Even if I could, I wouldn't make exceptions for a lowly beggar." Sizz-Lorr growled.

Isidar lowered her hood, so her face was revealed. "I beg your pardon?"

"My Smeetling!" Sizz-Lorr gasped, sinking into a low bow. The other workers saw her face, which looked exactly like Zee's, and sank into kneels, murmuring Zee's name.

"My Smeetling, had I known it was you-" Sizz-Lorr began.

"You wouldn't have insulted me. I know. I've heard this before." Isidar said, glaring at the giant Irken. Beside her, Dib and Hail were having a silent laughing fit, trying to hide it from the other Irkens.

"Take me to the banished one." Isidar commanded.

"Yes my Smeetling." Sizz-Lorr said, rising from the bow and leading the trio into the back room. They passed many machines, all occupied by kneeling Irkens. In the back was Zim, who was furiously scrubbing out what looked like a deep fryer.

"Ahem." Sizz-Lorr said, causing him to turn around. He stared at the members of the trio in turn, first at Dib, then at Isidar, then at Hail. His face broke out into a smile and threw his arms around the grey-eyed Irken.

"Hail." He said, drawing back and beaming. "I haven't seen you since we blew up our Smeetery!"  
Hail laughed. "When the Empire is after you, you tend to stay low for a while."

Zim beamed, and turned to Dib. "And what is HE doing here?" He snapped, crossing his arms.

"We'll explain later." Hail said, clapping Zim on the shoulder. "Will you let him go?" He said, turning to Sizz-Lorr.

The Irken glanced nervously at Isidar, and nodded. Hail beamed and thanked Sizz-Lorr, and led Zim out of the shop.

Once they passed the _Grub Demon_, a popular restaurant, Zim turned around and glared at Dib. Even though the little Irken was still wearing his _Shloogorgh's _uniform, he looked as intimidating as ever.

"Wait Zim." Hail said, walking away. "We'll explain everything soon."

Zim glared at Dib, then followed Hail to his ship.

Dib followed Isidar back to her ship nervously. They lifted off, following Hail to a nearby planet, hopefully quieter. Dib had never seen so many people in one place, and he had lived on Earth. He hoped the next planet was more secret.

_A few hours later…_

The Irkens landed back on the deserted planet that Dib had woken on. Hail stepped out, helped by Zim. The tinier Irken had taken off his uniform, and now wore his usual red shirt. He walked over to a rock and sat down.

"SO. Why did you come to fetch ZIM?" He asked.

Isidar walked out of the Voot, followed by Dib.

"Zee is captured. We need you to rescue her." She said, narrowing her eyes at Zim.

"And you are not Zee?" said Zim, raising an invisible eyebrow.

"No. I'm Isidar. Her psychelia." Isidar said.

Zim considered this, then turned to Dib. "And the Dib? What is he doing here?"

"His planet is under attack." Hail said.

Zim grinned. "Finally."

Dib glared at him.

"So will you help us rescue her?" Hail asked.

"No. She betrayed me." Zim said, his antennae stiffening. "She knew my mission was fake, and she let me believe I was actually doing something right for once. She is dead to me."

Hail glared at Zim. "When I found her, she was sobbing on the floor of her base. She missed you, she cared about you. Maybe she thought she could convince the Tallest to give you a real mission."

"You have to save her, Zim." Dib said. "You didn't see the way they were treating her. Yawe even tortured-"

"WHAT?" Isidar cried, turning on Dib. "Yawe tortured her?"

"Well, yeah." Dib said. "I thought you knew-"

"YOU MORON!" Isidar screamed, lunging at Dib. "HER MIND IS DELICATE! YOU COULD HAVE UNHINGED HER!"

Dib struggled in her grasp. "Unhinged? What are you talking about?"

"ZEE IS A DEFECT! SHE'S UNSTABLE! SOMETHING AS BIG AS THIS COULD HAVE MADE HER INSANE!" Isidar screeched, tears running down her cheeks.

Hail grabbed the Noid by the waist and pulled her off Dib, throwing her on the ground.

"Calm down, and tell us what you mean."

Isidar curled into a ball, shaking. "W-when Zee was born, her PAK sparked when they attached it to her. The Control Brains didn't notice this, but I did. After she was declared Smeetling, I noticed a shift in her mind. She hated the idea of Invading, Red always made it look like she loved it, sent her to planets, then took them over himself. He bullied her, told her she would never be Tallest, said she was worthless. I couldn't do anything, I was too weak. The other Tallest, Purple, was more sympathetic. When Zee became upset because of Red, he would comfort her. She called him uncle for years. Yawe discovered their bond, and Red built a Noid to look like Purple, and placed Yawe in it. He then captured Purple. I don't know if Purple is alive any more. After Zee disappeared, her mind shifted again. She was becoming insane, and I didn't know how to save her. Before she made me a ship, I stole more than her personality. I took copies of her memories, so I was more than I psychelia. That's how I made the Noid. I had actual intelligence inside me. I can feel, taste, hear, smell and see independently, while still holding a psychic connection between us." She looked up at the Irkens, tears in her eyes. "I can't feel her anymore. She's gone insane."

Zim and Hail looked shocked. Dib looked from one to the other.

"Can we save her?" He asked. "You're like a copy of her, right?"

Isidar sniffled. "I suppose."

"Then when we find her, you can show her your memories!" Dib exclaimed, grinning. "She'll be fine if we get her!"

"That is quite clever, Earth-Monkey." Hail said. "But we can't just strut into the Massive. Zim and I are the most wanted Irkens in our world. And now, so are you, because of your transformation."

"I know someone that can help." Zim said.

The trio looked at him. He looked a little embarrassed, as if he didn't want to say who it was.

"Zim, please tell us." Dib said. "My planet is in danger."

Zim glared at him. "I don't care about that. I only care about Zee." He turned to Hail.

"Who is it?" Hail asked gently.

Zim looked down. "My daughter."


	4. Chapter 4

Isidar, Dib and Hail just stared at Zim, speechless, until Hail sighed.

"Phew, I thought you meant Sketch."

"YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER?" Dib and Isidar cried.

Zim nodded, and looked down. Dib turned to Hail.  
"Who's Sketch?"

"MY son." He replied. "He's in love with Nikki."

"Who's Nikki?"

"My daughter." Zim said, sinking down onto a rock, his head in his hands.

A metallic voice snickered. "This idiot has feelings, like a female."

"Shut up Zone!" Hail cried. The voice snickered again.

"Ok, now who is THAT?" Dib cried.

"Zone, he's my psychelia. SHOW YOURSELF!" Hail screamed, wrenching a disk from his PAK. The disk shook, then expanded, until it was the size of a dinner table. The center lit up, and shot out a beam of light, which cleared to show a cross looking Irken.  
"OKAY, KEEP YOUR PANTIES IN YOUR PANTS!" He shouted, crossing his arms.  
"A hologram. Neat!" Zim said.  
"Yeah, monies's been kind of tight." Hail said.  
The Irken hologram had a jet-black uniform, and bright yellow eyes. He glared at them all in turn, stopping at Isidar. His face broke out into a grin.  
Dib and Isidar just stared at the Noid.  
"Aye, thy name is Zone, this idiot's Noid." Zone said, sweeping into a bow.  
He straightened and held his hand to Isidar. "And your name is?" He asked, grinning seductively.  
Isidar blushed a furious emerald, and turned on her heel, her arms crossed.

Hail laughed and said,"Whelp, Isidar, you's having a creep now."  
"Shut up." She muttered, glancing over her shoulder as she strutted away.

"Just like Zee..." Zim laughed.

"So, who's the lucky lady?" Hail grinned, and Zone leaned in, a smirk on his transparent face."None of your business!" Zim snarled, baring his teeth.

"Geez, fine!" Zone said, straightening his antennae. "Sorry we offended the royal dork."

"Can we get back to Nikki?" said Dib.

"Fine, Earth-Stink." Zim snapped. "Nikki works in the Planetorial Sweep inside the Massive. If we can contact her, she can lead us in inconspicuously to save the Smeetling."

"Great, call her!" Isidar called from her ship.

"One problem."Zim said.

"There's always a problem." Hail sighed.

"Nikki hates me." Zim said, looking down.

"I wonder why?" Dib said, looking thoughtful. "It couldn't possibly be because you're a heartless creature who wants to destroy my world could it?"

"Of course not." Zim said, seeming not to notice his sarcasm. "It's because I left her when she was born."

"Oh Zim…" Hail said, facepalming. "Why?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Zim cried. "I was sent to Foodcourtia for the first time!"

"Can you still call her?" Isidar asked hopefully.

"I guess." Zim said, pulling out a circular disk out of his PAK. "She won't want to talk to me though."

"That's fine." Isidar said, scrolling through the disk. "I still look like Zee, I think she'll answer to me."

Isidar pressed a few buttons and an angry Irkeness appeared on it's screen. She had two eyelashes, and ruby red eyes.

"_Sek?"_She snapped, then froze, taking in Isidar's face.

"_D-doj Smeetling!_" She gasped. "Kud _eyun ug kronhal, Kud jof hedawos asovmst nilsa!_"

"What is she saying?" Dib whispered to Hail.

"You can't understand her?" He asked, puzzled. "She's speaking plain Irken."

"I thought we were already speaking Irken." Said Dib. "Zee told me that I was already speaking it."

"This is English." Hail said. "I don't know why Zee said that to you. Anyway, Nikki is just surprised to see Isidar/Zee's face, and is now apologizing."

"Ehoc say ono." Isidar said, smiling gently. "Kumeya Nikki?"

"Isidar said it's alright, and is asking if she's Nikki." Hail whispered.

"_Yes ma'am_." Nikki said, which Hail translated, and she bowed, revealing two straight black antennae. "_How may I be of assistance?"_

"_First of all, my name is Isidar. I am Xenial's psychelia._" Isidar said, Which Hail translated. "_And we desperately need your help. You work aboard the Massive, yes?"_

"_Yes ma'am, as part of the Planetorial Sweep."_Nikki said, looking proud. "_Why would you need my help?"_

_"My Xenial is being held captive there."_Isidar said seriously. "_I intend to rescue her. With your help."_

_"I'm sorry ma'am, I believe you are mistaken."_Nikki said, looking confused. "_The Smeetling is not here."_

_"She is."_ Zim said, who popped up beside Isidar. "_Please help us Nikki. Not for me, but for her."_

Nikki glared at her father. "_I will never do anything for you, Zim. But only a psychelia would know if their Irken was in danger, so I will help you."_

Zim's face dropped, and his eyes filled with tears. He ducked out of the frame quickly. Hail tried to comfort him, but he rose on his PAK legs and ran away.

"_Nikki!" _Isidar exclaimed.

"_What?" _Niki said, crossing her arms. "_He abandoned me as a smeet. My mother was no help either. SHE was picked for the Great Assigning, and left me on the Massive. . I don't think she ever loved me. '**Bye sweety! Now that you can manage by yourself, you won't need me anymore! And I can finally get away from you…'"**_

"_Aside from your family's disagreements, Xenial is in danger." _Isidar continued. "_We need to sneak onto the Massive without being noticed. You need to cause a distraction."_

For the first time, Nikki grinned. "Bleya. _I will do it."_

Dib and Zim flew inside Isidar, neither of them looking happy about the settlement. Hail and Zone flew in Hail's ship. They rode silently for a few minutes, until Isidar groaned.

"Will someone TALK already?!"

Zim grumbled.

"Uhm… What happened to that little robot you had?" Dib asked hesitantly.

"GIR?" Zim snapped. "I thought he was with Zee."

"When w-the Resisty captured her, he wasn't with her." Dib said, hoping Zim didn't notice he almost said that HE was one of the ones to catch Zee.

Zim didn't seem to notice, he looked too worried about his robot.

"Um… How long… How long do Irkens live?" Dib asked, not believing he was asking his worst enemy such personal questions. But he felt slightly closer to Zim now, as if they were equals, and not two people from different worlds. Zim looked a little rattled, but still answered.

"If we are lucky, nearly a million years."

"WHAT?" Dib cried, staring at his green hands. "A MILLION years?"

Zim grinned nastily at his shock. "Oh I forgot, you are from Earth. In Earth years, it is much, MUCH longer than that. Thousands of Irkens are older than your planet's…. what is it? The death of Creest? Anyway, they are older than that."

"They're over two thousand years old?"

"Yep."

Zim laughed as Dib began to freak out.

"So, how many Irk years am I?" Dib asked after he calmed down.

"Hmmm." Zim said, inspecting Dib. "Isidar, run a bio scan on the Dib."

"I'm not your computer." Isidar grumbled, but a bright blue light scanned Dib. The computer screen lit up, and displayed a long paragraph in Irken. Zim read it and chuckled.

"You were eleven Earth years, right?" He asked, his eyes still on the screen.

"Yeah."

"Age is different on Irk. Say a smeet was your age, eleven. By your standards, he would be called one, even though in Earth years he would be about twenty five. Say an Irken, like me, was eighty-six years old. I would be considered eighteen. Say a smeet was sixty-five, like Zee. They would be-"

"Wait a minute." Dib said. Zee told me she was fourteen."

Zim looked up. "No, she's sixty-five. You must have heard wrong."

Dib was confused. When Zee had him captive, she said he could speak Irken and that she was twenty-eight Earth years old. Why would she lie?

"Anyway, if a smeet is sixty-five, she would be considered sixteen. At age seventy, they become adults. However, since humans develop way quicker than Irkens, you would be considered as fifty eight years old. By perspective, you have aged 47 years in half an Irk day."

"Holy shit." Dib said. "58 years old…"

"Since we are exchanging information, what is shit?" Zim asked.

"What? It's a word for our… waste." Dib said.

"What is waste?"

For the next few hours, Dib and Zim exchanged information on their planets, information that Dib couldn't believe Zim hadn't known, and information on Irk he struggled to comprehend. One in particular was the Tallest.

"Your government is based on height? Not their skill, battle strategy, nothing?"

"Yes, back in our primitive times, the tallest Irken was the strongest and fastest of our group. After centuries, millennia of generations, the tradition remained. As one of the smaller Irkens, Zim was frowned upon. Until, however, Zim proved himself in Operation Impending Doom One, where Zim battled in an upgraded version of the Megadoomer. Unfortunately, Zim hadn't noticed he was still on Irk, and was banished to Foodcourtia."

"That's pathetic." Dib laughed.

"Do YOU know how to operate a BattleSuit ArmorDoomMech?"

"Is that what it was called?"

"No. That is a different Battle Droid. But do you?"

"No."

Zim laughed. "Earthlings are a pitiful race."

Dib opened his mouth to retaliate, but froze. He now understood why it was called the Massive. It was enormous, with hundreds of smaller ships guarding it.

Isidar's face appeared on the computer screen.

"Boys, welcome to the Massive."


	5. Chapter 5

As Zim and Zim approached the Massive, the computer began beeping. Zim gasped and hid behind the seat.

"What's happening? What's wrong?" Dib asked.

"They're hailing us. We can't let them see me. I'm banished!" Zim said, peeking his head over the chair.

"What do we do? I can't speak Irken!" Dib said.

"Calm down." Isidar said, and a hatch over their heads opened up. A green necklace fell onto Dib's lap.

"Put it on. It's a hologram necklace with a translator." She said, and Dib pulled it over his head. He saw his hands flicker, and became covered in black gloves.

He pressed the screen, and a green-eyed attendant appeared onscreen.

"State your business."

Dib gulped, trying to remember the plan. "I am here with a transport of snacks. May I come aboard?"

The Irken glared at him. "Prove your identity."

Dib's mind raced. Gangali however, kept his cool, and reminded Dib silently of the plan.

"Fine then." Dib said, shrugging and reaching for the controls. "If you don't want snacks…"

"WAIT!" The Irken cried, panicking. "The Tallest will kill me! Come in, come in…"

A door on the side of the Massive slid open, and Isidar guided the Voot through. Hail followed shortly, and hopped out of his cruiser, Zone floating behind him.

"Alright." Isidar said, now back in her Noid. "We need disguises. None of us can be seen."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out three more necklaces. Zim and Hail took one, and pulled them over their heads. Zim became a head taller, with purple eyes and a longer shirt. Hail became red-eyed and shrank a bit. Isidar pulled her own necklace over her head, and turned into a red-eyed Irkeness.

"Ok, everyone hide their necklaces." She said, tucking hers under her shirt. The other boys obeyed, and Dib caught his reflection for the first time in the Voot's windshield. He had bronze eyes and a scar on his cheek. His clothes were red, with black pants and boots. It might be his Irken blood, but he looked good. He turned back to his allies, and saw Zim frowning at his disguise.

"This body doesn't show the amazingness of Zim." He said, frowning.

Isidar sighed. "That's the point. Now speak Irken. We need to look the part."

Zim nodded stiffly and marched away. Hail, Dib and Isidar followed him out the hangar door. There they met Nikki, who was a head shorter than Zim.

She glared at them suspiciously, then whispered softly. "_Madam Isidar?"_

_"Yes." _Isidar said. _"This is Hail, Dib, and Zim." _She said, indicating the boys.

Nikki glared at Zim, and turned to Isidar.

"_I didn't know you were bringing company." _She said, indicating Dib and Hail.

"_They are dear friends of Xenial."_ Isidar said. "_Now, lead us to the control room._"

"_Yes ma'am._" Nikki said, turning on her heel and leading them through the hall. They passed many Irkens, and some nodded to Nikki.

"I don't understand." Dib whispered. "Isn't your society based on height? Why are they nodding to Nikki?"

"She is actually quite tall for her age." Zim whispered. "For a smeet, she is quite respectable."

"How old is she?" Dib asked.

"A little over a year." He replied.

_A year old… What is wrong with this society? _Dib thought.

_Irkens are a strange race, but they're your race. _Gangali said.

_No, they're not. _ Din thought stubbornly as they turned a corner. _Once this is over, I'm gonna get changed back to a human._

_If you do, Then it will be the last you hear of little ol' me. _Gang said.

Before Dib could question this, they stepped into the control room. It was enormous, three times the size of Dib's old classroom. In the exact middle sat the two Tallests, the red and purple ones. They didn't even notice the newcomers, as they were busy scarfing snacks. Behind them sat a smaller chair, bright blue and quite cushy. Dib knew who's it was before Isidar told him. That was where Zee should be. Isidar now looked nervous, and whispered frantically to Nikki. The little Irken nodded, and led them out. They reached a different hallway, and Isidar turned to the boys.

"We need to split up. She's here, but hidden. Hail, you go with Zone." Hail nodded and the hologram popped out of his PAK.

"I will go with Nikki, and you will go with Dib." She said to Zim.

"I will NOT work with the Stink-Beast." Zim snarled.

"You two have known each other the longest." Isidar said flatly. "Now, Hail, Zone, check the snack room. Zim, Dib, go to the chambers. Nikki, we'll go to the hospital."

"Why wouldn't she be in the cells?" Dib asked.

"That would be too predictable." Isidar said, turning on her heel. "Irkens are not predictable. That's what makes them so predictable."

Hail and Zim nodded wisely, but Dib was just confused. Zim grabbed his arm, pinching hard, and dragged him down another hallway. They shuffled for a long time in silence, both unhappy with the pairing. Dib occasionally took a wrong hallway, and had to hurry to catch up to Zim, who didn't seem to notice the Earth boy's mistakes. They finally reached a large door, guarded by two mean-looking Irkens. Zim swore in Irken, and shoved Dib back down the other hallway. He turned around, and took off his own PAK, then began rapidly pressing it's buttons.

"Don't you need that?" Dib asked, stepping away from the thing, as it had once attached itself to his chest, and for a few horrible minutes, Dib felt like Zim, seeing his memories and becoming a strange Irken-human hybrid… thing.

"Yes, Dib-thing, I do." Zim said, not taking his eyes off his work. "However, when Zim takes it off willingly, he can stay alive for a while, and not get distracted. Zim will die after ten minutes, however."

Zim put his PAK on the floor, and it flickered, then transformed into a trolley filled with snacks. Zim then began to push the trolley around the corner again, and Dib hurried to catch up. They reached the door, and the guards stopped them.

"What are you two doing?" One said suspiciously.

"I heard there was a new recruit, and I was going to place some snacks in their chambers." Zim said stiffly. "The rest shall go to the Tallests rooms. They are expecting their snacks, and if they do not get them, they shall be angry." Zim's voice dropped to a whisper. "_Very_ angry."

The guards shuddered, and let them through. Zim hurriedly pushed a button on the edge of the trolley, and it collapsed back into a PAK, which he hurriedly put back on.

They began walking down the corridor, stopping in each room to check for Zee. The Irken chambers were not at all what Dib was expecting. They had no beds, only chairs and desks, mostly full of snacks.

But some had designs on them. Designs of ships, planets, and bombs.

Dib peeked his head into the next chamber, and only saw blue. Bright blue, dark blue, the ceiling and walls were all different shades of blue. On Earth they would have crashed horribly, but Dib's new eyes saw unmistakable beauty behind it. There were also pale pink chairs, tables and cushions all over the room, as though you could plunk yourself down anywhere you wanted. Unlike the other identical chambers, this room screamed home. Dib knew it was Zee's, but was disappointed that she wasn't there. Irkens sure were unpredictable…

They reached the end of the hall, which took a long time, as the corridor was very long. It had to be, as Gang had told Dib, for thousands of Irkens lived on the Massive. Zim and Dib both peeked their heads in different rooms, and Dib heard the little Irken gasp. He didn't care though, his eyes were fixed on the creature on the cot inside the room. The creature was bloodied, scratched, and a rotting smell wafted over its body. But it's clothes, disgusting as they were, were familiar. Dib knew who it was before he saw it's eyes. It was Zee.


	6. Chapter 6

It was Zee. Dib's breath caught in his throat. He heard Zim cry out something, but he didn't care. She looked terrible, her arms still heavily burned, but they also included bruises and gashes, covering her face. She lay on her back, her eyes wide open, unseeing.

_What in the good name of Miyuki happened to her?_ Gang said softly.

_I don't know... is she dead?_

_Take a closer look._

_No!_

_Why not?_

_It's gross_!

_This girl is dead or DYING. Do something_!

Cautiously, Dib moved closer to her. The smell became stronger, and Dib could see it was coming from her burns, the skin was a nasty emerald. Dib stretched out a trembling hand and poked her side. Her right eye twitched. He poked it again, and she blinked.

Dib released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"Zim! ZIM! I found her!" Dib cried, turning his head around. Zim was in the chamber across the hall, but Dib couldn't see him.

"Hey, ZIM!"

Zee stirred at the noise, and moaned in pain. Dib walked back over to the cot, and Zee turned her head to him.

"Zee, it's me. It's Dib. We're here to rescue you."

"Dib." She said, frowning slightly. "Dib..."

"Zee, you're hurt. Isidar will fix you." Dib said frantically. Isidar told him she was insane now, add to the fact she smelled and looked horrible, Dib's first instinct was to run straight out of the room. He looked over his shoulder and called again for Zim. A figure burst out of the chamber, but it wasn't Zim. It was the Tallest he had seen in the control room, the purple one.

"WHERE IS HE?" He snarled, looking around wildly. He caught sight of Dib and raced over to him. From up close Dib saw that he looked different. His skinny legs touched the floor, and he wore a long, shapeless white robe, very different from the one Dib had seen him in earlier.

The Tallest glared at Dib. "Where is the cowardly bastard?"

"I saw you! You were in the control room!" Dib cried.

"Wrong. HE was in the control room." The Tallest snarled. "You saw HIM. And when I-" The Tallest stopped, looking over Dib's shoulder. "Zee..." He whispered, and shoved Dib to the side as he ran to her.

"Zee? Do you remember me?" He asked tearfully, kneeling down next to the cot. "It's me. Uncle Purple..."

"Purple..." Zee whispered, her eyes blank.

The Tallest, Purple, let a tear fall down his cheek. Zim appeared in the doorway.

"My Tall- Oh no." He said.

Purple straightened up, brushing the tear from his cheek. He turned to Dib and Zim.

"I expect you two know who I am." He said confidently, but Dib could still hear a tremble of emotion in his voice.

He saw Zim nod out of the corner of his eye and followed suit.

"Then as Tallest, I order you to wheel this girl out of here." Purple continued.

"My Tallest, it's me. Zim." Zim said, taking off his necklace. His disguise flickered, then faded away.

"Zim!" Purple cried, in a tone that was both condescending and relieved. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be back on Earth!"

"You banished Zim." Zim said, marching over to Zee's cot. "Along with Zee."

Purple looked shocked, then became furious. "That little defect... I'll explain everything later. What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing Zee." Zim said, wheeling her out of the room. "She was captured by the Resisty soon after her banishment. From what I was told, she was tortured, then beamed to the Massive."

Dib and Purple rushed after him, and Zim took out a communicator.

"_Nikki, we have Zee. Repeat, we have Zee."_

_"Affirmative. We're coming down to the chambers now._"

"Do you have a disguise on, or what?" Purple asked Dib.

"Hologram. Name's Dib." Dib said, holding out his hand to shake. Purple just stared at it.

"You aren't Irken are you?" He said.

"I am." Dib said, lowering his hand, embarrassed. "I used to be human."

"Hey! You're that big-headed kid from Earth aren't you?" Purple cried.

Dib rolled his eyes. Zee was stirring at the noise, twisting her head from side to side.

"Who are you? Where are we going?" She rasped.

"It's Zim." Zim said, pulling the necklace back over his head. "And SILENCE! You'll blow our ingenious cover!"

Zee now looked panicked, and tried to lift herself from the cot, falling back down in a low grunt.

"Who are you people?" She said hoarsely, her eyes wide. "What are you going to do with me?"

"You… You don't recognize me?" Purple said hesitantly, slowing to a walk, and then he stopped completely. Zim stopped rolling the cot.

Zee's breath came in short gasps. "No. Should I?"

Purple's eyes filled with tears. Zim leant over the cot, his eyes flashing.

"What was the last thing you remember?" He said softly, his voice dripping with anger.

"Dark. It was all dark. Then I saw a tall person, with red eyes. He hit me, a lot." Zee said, wincing as if the memory hurt. "He put me on a white stroller thing, and wheeled me into a dark room. And I had… weird dreams."

"Wait a second…" Zim said, straightening up and frowning. He gasped. "WHERE IS YOUR PAK?"

"What's a PAK?"She asked.

"How long were you in that room?" Purple said breathlessly.

"I don't know." Zee said. "It seemed like forever. I fell asleep at one point. It was a long time."

"We need to get her to Isidar." Zim said, breaking into a run, pushing the cot faster. Purple activated his PAK legs, and seeing Dib was struggling, scooped the little Irken up.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Dib screeched.

"No way. Zim's fast, he was the fastest in our Invader class. Look." Purple said, pointing to Zim. The Invader was bolting as fast as he could, and even on mechanical legs Purple struggled to catch up.

"How'd he get so fast?" Dib asked.

"Ever heard the expression, _Eston ehkron asuhm muhm?"_He panted.

"No. I'm from Earth." Dib said irritably.

They reached the end of the hall, and Purple folded back his PAK legs and dropped Dib. He knelt over and gasped for breath. Zee looked too shocked for words.

Zim took out his communicator, looking completely fine. "_Nikki, take out the guards. They'll freak if they see Zee."_

The doors sprang open, and Nikki stood, hand on her hip, a laser gun in her other hand, smirking.

"_You were saying?"_

"_You are TRULY Zim's daughter!"_Zim cried happily.

Isidar rounded the corner, and rushed over to her mistress.

"Zee! WHAT HAPPENED!" She cried.

"Who's Zee?" She rasped.

"Sweet Mother of Irk… We have to get to the Voot."Isidar said, shoving Zim out of the way and wheeling the cot past the unconscious guards. The Irkens bolted after her, Zim in the lead and purple in the rear. Nikki ran next to him, as he was still out of breath from chasing Zim, and he was unstable on his actual legs.

They ran past several doors, many of them holding Irkens. Some looked up as they past, but none took it to attention. The passed the door to the control room, just as the red Tallest floated out with another Purple. The Tallests stared at the group of Irkens, and the Irkens did them.

"YOU!" Purpple screeched, shrugging off Nikki and lunging at the other Purple. The Tallests broke out into a fight, punching each other in the face and shouting angrily. The red Tallest saw Zee.

"SEIZE THE TRAITORS!" He screamed, and Irken guards ran out of the control room to catch them. Zim yelled and grabbed Isidar's hand, dragging her and the cart out of the way. Nikki pulled the two Purples apart, and dragged him after Zim and Isidar. Dib followed them, yelling like a maniac. Nikki held Purple over her head and ran, as the Tallest still wanted to fight the other him. They raced past the guards, swerving the cot at the corners, causing other Irkens to screech. Hail and Zone met them at the hangar.

"M 'lady." Zone said to Isidar.

"Shut up." Isidar said, glaring at him.

"CLOSE THE DOOR!" Nikki screamed, throwing Purple in front of her, and racing to the controls. Hail rushed over to the other side, and the giant doors began to close. The red Tallest and the Purple double raced down the hall, surrounded by guards. The doors slammed closed just as they reached the hangar. The Irkens heard them shout in anger.

Isidar bolted to her ship, wheeling the cot in front of her. The Noid jumped into the ship and disappeared. The ship booted up and mechanical arms scooped up the cot and placed it gently inside.

Hail and Zone jumped into their own ship and booted it up. Nikki went to join them.

"Oh no." Zone said, frowning. "This ship ain't big enough for you. Go with the hottie."

"I HEARD THAT!" Isidar shouted.

Nikki glared at Zone.

"Sorry Nikki, he's right." Hail said. "Isidar is bigger."

Nikki stomped away, grumbling under her breath. She hopped into Isidar and disappeared.

Dib helped Purple into Isidar and Zim hopped in behind him. Isidar lifted up and began flying toward the air lock. The hangar door burst open, and the red Tallest stood in the middle.

"CATCH THEM!" He cried, and dozens of Irken guards swarmed inside.

Hail shot the airlock controls with a laser, making the door open into space. The guards yelled, air bubbles covering their heads as they tried to hang on to doorways, chairs, wires and each other. The Tallest yelled and hung on with his PAK legs. Hail's ship and Isidar were thrown into space, and they raced away.


	7. Chapter 7

Inside Isidar, large blue wires were coiling around Zee, snaking into her PAK holes gently. Purple held her hand, tears in his rectangular eyes. She had fallen unconscious in the race, and her breath came in short gasps.

"She'll be alright…. Right?" Purple asked Isidar fearfully.

"I don't know." She replied, now in hologram form. She closed her eyes to manipulate the cords, and they glowed bright blue.

Zee's eyes shot open, and she screamed a terrible, blood-curling scream. She thrashed in the cot, and Isidar began to wail, her hands over her eyes.

Purple, Nikki and Zim looked at each other fearfully. Dib was too transfixed to move.

Zee continued to thrash, her scream never faltering. Tears poured out of her eyes, as she screamed at whatever was causing her this pain.

"Mistress, I'm sorry!" Isidar wailed.

The cords stopped glowing, and retreated back into the walls. Zee lay there, very still on the cot.

"What did you do?" Purple hissed, swiping at Isidar but only finding air. Isidar looked up at him, fear in her eyes.

"I gave her back her memories. And… I saw…" Isidar faded away, and sobbing came from the ship's speakers. It seemed Isidar had used all of her strength on restoring Zee's memories, and had to return to her ship.

"I saw Nar torturing her, all over again. I saw Tallest Red, beating her. I saw her childhood again…" Isidar fell silent, and Purple squeezed Zee's hand tightly.

"We need to get her to a hospital. Look at her burns!" Dib said.

"I know, but Red's still looking for her." Isidar said fretfully. "And we need someone close to Irken intelligence to fix her. The only people I know of are the Meekrob, but they'd never help an Irken."

"Well… There's my dad." Dib shrugged.

"Is he a doctor?" Isidar asked.

Zim sneered at Dib. "Your parental unit? His equipment didn't even help us when we became baloney! How could he heal such a superior creature?"

"I'll have you know, my dad is a genius." Dib growled, rounding on Zim.

"He nearly created a radioactive bomb! I would have destroyed Earth if it hadn't been for your idiotic sister!" Zim snapped.

"He was TRYING to make PEG a tool for mankind!"

"He made an entire lab to destroy San-ta!"

"It worked, didn't it? I threw Santa into space!"

"HE CAPTURED HIS OWN DAUGHTER AND MADE HER INTO AN UNWILLING TEST SUBJECT!"

"HE WAS- wait, how did you know that?"

"SHUT UP!" Isidar boomed. Dib and Zim glared at each other, then turned away.

"Dib, can your dad really save her?" Purple asked, his eyes wide.

"What choice do we have?" Dib shrugged.

"Good enough. Earth, here we come." Isidar said, and the passengers were thrown to the rear of the ship as she went into light-speed.

/

Isidar landed in Zim's base, followed by Hail. There, Zim put on his disguise and Dib put on his hologram necklace again, this time becoming himself as a human. They put a cloaking blanket over Zee's cot, and rolled her to Dib's house, waving good-bye to Hail, Nikki, Purple, Isidar and Zone.

Dib knocked on his door and Professor Membrane answered. "Son!" He cried, grabbing Dib by the shoulders and pulling him into a hug. "I was so worried! I even forgot the formula to the Super Toast!"

"I'm fine dad." Dib said, shaken a little by his father's affection. "We need to talk."

He lifted the blanket, revealing Zee.

/

"You were right all along." Membrane said as he prepared a formula. "I'm sorry son. You aren't crazy at all."

Dib and Zim had told Membrane the entire story, and Zim had even taken off his disguise. They were downstairs in the Professor's lab, while he tried to find medicine for her burns.

"But why do you want to save her?" He had asked.

"Because she's the heir to the Empire." Zim had snapped. "And the Armada is on its way here, to destroy Earth."

That had gotten the Professor's attention more than anything. He had rushed Zee into his lab and began working at once.

"It's ok dad." Dib said. He and Zim sat on stools near Zee. She was moaning, twisting on her cot.

"Got it." Professor Membrane said, holding up a tub of cream. He started towards Zee but Zim stopped him.

"Does this concoction contain any water?" He asked suspiciously.

"No, not at all." The Professor said, looking confused. Zim looked satisfied and sat back down. The Professor dipped his glove into the tub, and pulled out a blob of the stuff. He placed it on Zee's right arms and a soft sigh escaped her mouth. He smothed a thin layer of the cream wherever she was burned, and her breathing seemed to slow down.

"What is this stuff?" Zim asked, taking the tub from him when he finished.

"Just a burn medicine, but it seemed to work exceptionally well on her skin." Membrane said, inspecting her. "It must be her cell structure…"

Zim glared at him as he pocketed the cream. "One of us should be here when she wakes up." He said, looking at Dib. "Someone familiar."

"Right." Dib said, standing up to leave. Before he could leave the lab, Zim had burst past him, and Membrane had simply patted his shoulder and burst through a wall, his typical exit, leaving Dib next to an unconscious alien.

/

Dib had fallen asleep on the floor, snoring loudly. He woke with a start when Zee yawned. He sat up straight, and rubbd his eyes. He looked up to see Zee, stretching on her cot. He stood up and stood next to her.

"Uhm… Zee?" He asked tentatively. "Do you remember me?"

Zee looked at him blankly, and then a slow grin crept up her face. "Dib…"

Dib grinned in relief, and began to laugh. Zee began to laugh too, and wrapped her arms around him.

"You saved me…"

"Nah, Isidar and Hail and Zim and-" Dib began, but was cut short by her kiss. She pulled away from him and smiled weakly.

"Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome." Dib stuttered.

Zee rested her head on his chest and sighed happily. Dib patted her back awkwardly.

She drew back from him and sat up straight. "What's wrong?"

"I-you hated me!" Dib cried. "And I hated you! You tortured me, and I just watched as Ya-whoever tortured you! You were going to destroy Earth!"

"I tortured you?" Zee asked, looking confused.

"Yes!" Dib exclaimed, annoyed by her helpless act. "In your base! You and Zim captured me, he left, and you threw meat and water at me!"

"I don't remember that…" Zee said.

Dib groaned. She was an idiot, if she thought he was buying this for a second. "Isidar gave you back your memories, of course you remember!"

"Issi is here?" Zee asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"You're unbelievable." Dib rolled his eyes, and stomping to the lab door. "I can't believe that I thought for a second you actually cared about me. Isidar said I caused you to love." He shook his head. "I wonder how many others you fooled." He slammed the door on her.

/

"Son? What's wrong?" Professor Membrane asked as Dib stormed out of the lab. He and Zim were sitting at the dining table, sipping what looked like hot chocolate.

"Nothing." Dib muttered. He turned to Zim. "Zee has her memory back, right?"

"From what Isidar told us, yes." Zim said, setting the mug on the table.

_How stupid does she think I am? _Dib fumed.

_She doesn't think you're dumb at all. _Gangali snickered.

_Of course she does, why else would she lie about torturing me?_

_Her eyes were bright and alert Dib. You need to learn Irken body language. They can almost never fake telling the truth. They stutter, stall and sneer to draw time. She was telling the truth. Maybe you are an idiot…_

_Shut up. _Dib thought furiously, feeling stupid.

"She woke up." Dib told Zim. Zim grinned and pulled out what looked like a glowing purple oval. He clicked a few of the buttons on it's side and Isidar's voice spoke from it, as clearly as if she was standing next to them.

"Yes?" She asked.

"She's awake."

There was a soft click, and the oval stopped glowing. Zim looked at it curiously, just as there was a knock at the door. Dib opened it to see a panting Isidar, back in her Noid, leaning on the doorframe.

"How did you-" Dib began, but Isidar pushed past him.

"Where is she?" She gasped.

"Downst-" Zim began, but Isidar had already bolted past him too. Zim and Dib shared a look, then followed her.

Zee was sitting upright in her cot, beaming at her psychelia. "Issi…"

Isidar had tears running down her cheeks as she grinned at her mistress. "It worked… Miss, it worked! Your memory is back!"

Zee's eyes swam with tears and she hugged Isidar. They broke apart after a while, and Zee brushed away her tears. "Issi, where's my PAK?"

Isidar froze, her eyes now steely blue. She glanced at Zim and Dib. "It's…. We don't know."

Zee looked furious, and she pushed herself off the cot. "Red has it, doesn't he?"

"Miss, I-"

"Isidar, fetch me a cloak, and prepare the Voot." Zee said, brushing past Zim and Dib. "I'm going to get it back if it's the last thing I do."


	8. Chapter 8

Zee stomped out of the lab and froze at the door. Hail, Zone, Zim, Nikki, Purple and Professor Membrane stared at her from the dining table.

Zee stared at them for a few seconds, and tears began pouring down her cheeks. "Uncle Purple!" She squealed, and lunged for him. Purple laughed and held her close. They cried together, Zee's arms around his neck.

_You can SMELL the sappyness._ Gangali groaned. Dib didn't care. There seemed to be nothing that could compare to their love. Dib looked over to Isidar to see she was grinning widely, tears swimming in her eyes. He glanced over to see Zim brush away a single tear and clear his throat.

"I missed you so much…" Zee whispered.

"So did I sweetie." Purple said softly. He set her down and brushed away his tears. Zee grinned at him and turned to Hail. He bowed to her respectfully, but was cut short by her hug. He hesitated, and then squeezed her as well.

She squeezed his hand and turned to Nikki. "Who are you?" She asked, puzzled.

"I am Nikki my Smeetling." Nikki bowed. "Of the Planetery Conversion Team."

"Thank you very much for your help." Zee said, taking her hands and bowing to her. Nikki turned a brilliant shade of emerald.

Zee turned to Zim. He tried to look away, and he coughed awkwardly. In the middle of his cough, he muttered, "Sorry."

Zee grinned and hugged him. Zim squirmed and threw her off. "Don't touch me." He murmured, and walked away.

_Good Irk, I'm going to be sick._ Gangali said.

_Can you even puke?_ Dib asked skeptically.

_No, but I'll use you._

_I don't want to puke!_

_Then make her stop being sappy!_

Zee walked up to Professor Membrane. "Hello sir." She bowed.

He looked shocked.

"I'm guessing you healed me?" She asked, smiling at him.

"Uh…. Yes, that's right." He said, trying to compose himself.

"Thank you very much sir. I hope to repay this debt someday." Zee bowed to him again.

"Er…" Membrane said, at a loss for words.

She just smiled and walked away. She headed to the door.

"Miss? Mistress?" Isidar said, starting after her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to rip my dear _Uncle Red_ limb from limb." Zee snapped, rounding on her, every inch of sweetness gone. Isidar gasped and stepped back a step.

"That defect tortured me, beat me, and took my PAK. I'm going to kill him, and _if _I don't succeed," She said, turning to Hail. "_You _will finish my job."

"Y-yes ma'am." Hail gulped. Zone looked shocked.

"Zee, we need to-" Dib began.

"Tell me Dib," Zee snarled, stomping towards him. "Exactly _what_ is more important than this?" She shoved him backwards. "_What _is more important than revenge? _What _is more important than proving myself? _What _is more important than SHOWING THAT I AM NOT A FOOLISH GIRL, WHO PEOPLE CAN SHOVE AND TORMENT BECAUSE OF MY DEFECTION?"

"Y-you know you're a defect?" Isidar muttered.

"Of course I do, I knew the moment I met him." Zee snapped, shoving Dib one more time and crossing her arms.

"I'll tell you what's more important." Dib said, shaking with fury. "My planet. My home. My family. If you don't stop Red and Yawe, they will destroy Earth."

Zee considered him, and then smiled. "Finally." She said, more to herself than anyone, and bolted out of the Membrane house. Isidar, Nikki, Purple and Hail rushed after her, leaving Zone, Zim and Dib by themselves.

Despite everything, Dib thought of what she said.

_She knew she was a defect the moment she met me…_

/

Zee bolted into the base, leaping into the toilet and flushing. Isidar rushed through the door, and saw Zee vanish. She groaned.

"Hey Issi." Computer said.

"Hey." Isidar said, and she closed her eyes. Her Voot rose from the floor, Zee's feet upside down and in the cockpit.

"Did you update your security?" Zee said, her voice muffled. Isidar opened her eyes and jumped into the seat, freeing Zee.

"Yes. Zee, can you please tell me what you are planning to do?" She asked tentatively.

Zee straightened her antennae, and sighed. "No. Sorry Issi, even I don't know what I'm going to do."

Isidar nodded sadly, and her Noid collapsed to the floor. The Voot booted up, and Isidar said "Are you okay miss?"

"I feel better than I have ever felt in my entire life." Zee grinned evilly. "I feel…. Powerful."

Zim popped up next to the Voot in his own Voot. "It's called revenge." He smirked.

"I like it!" Zee cried, and Isidar and Zim's ship started flying.

/

Zee tapped a claw on the dashboard, thinking deeply.

"Zim." She said to him, his face on her communication screen. "An Irken cae to Earth looking for revenge on you, right?"

"Yes, Tak." He said. "I had assumed she was in love with me, for obvious reasons." He smirked at Zee.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her controls. "Tak… I knew a Tak… Purple eyes, beauty mark under one of them?"

"Yes." Came Zim's reply.

"Then that's her." Zee grinned. "She owes me a favour."

"How did you get a favour from her?" Zim demanded, turning to the screen angrily.

"Well, I was on Devastis, and I saw her door was blocked. I let her out, and asked for her name. She told me, and ran away, crying 'I owe you one! Thanks!'"

Zim growled and turned back to his work.

Zee opened another communication screen and entered Tak's name. She waited patiently as Isidar connected the link.

Tak's tired face appeared onscreen, her antennae drooping slightly. "Yes? Who's calling?"

"I am Xenial, Smeetling of the Empire." Zee said.

Tak froze. "M-my Smeetling? Wha- I mean, I'm honored, but why are you calling me?"

"You owe me a favour. Do you remember, about fifty years ago on Devastis?" Zee said, a slight grin crawling up her face.

"Of course. That was the day Zim ruined my life." Tak said angrily. "I probably would have starved if I hadn't been saved by-" She froze, examining Zee closely. "You… You're the one who helped me out!"

"At your service. I now go by Zee." The blue-eyed Irken smirked. "And I believe you owe me a favour."

"Of course!" Tak grinned, her antennae standing up a bit straighter. "What do you want me to do?"

Zee opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a loud squeal.

"TAAAAAAK! GiGi took my piggy!"

To Zee's astonishment, a small SIR unit appeared behind Tak. It had a large fist, a blue chest plate, a silver antennae on his head, and glowing cyan eyes. It sniffled and wiped a tear from his eye.

"Not now MiRR!" Tak hissed.

"Uh…. Tak, who is that?" Zee stammered.

Tak opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted too.

"I didn't eat da piggy!" a high metallic voice cried. It seemed to be female, and had a slight British accent. Another SIR unit with a small Irken symbol on its forehead walked up to the other. It also had a giant fist, but no antennae. It glared at the other SIR. "Ah ate it!"

The other SIR burst into tears and screamed. "PIGGY!"

"What is going on here?" A larger version of the female SIR walked up to the smaller ones. "GiGi, apologize."

Instead of apologizing, the one called GiGi opened her head and handed a rubber piggy to the other SIR. He grinned and hugged it.

"Ooh! Who's on TV?" a familiar voice cried. Two cyan eyes popped up in front of the screen.

"_GIR?" _Zee gasped.


	9. Chapter 9

"GIR, I don't understand! Why are you with Tak?" Zee stammered.

"I wanted mah MiMi!" GIR squealed.

"Your…. Mimi?" Zee asked.

"My SIR unit." Tak sighed, pulling the female SIR unit off her own head. "GIR flew over here a few days ago, and MiMi liked him for some reason."

"He makes me laugh." The robot that was MiMi said, her voice high and metallic.

"I had left my base for a few hours, and when I came back they had this round, glowing thing in their arms." Tak said, gesturing to show how big it was. "They wouldn't tell me what it was, until I left to build another ship. I came back up for a snack and found these." She pointed to the little SIR units, who were now squabbling over a piggy. "Wait… Is GIR yours?" Tak asked suspiciously.

"No, he's a friend's." Zee said.

Tak looked suspicious, so Zee changed the subject. "Ahem….. I came for a favour."

"Oh…. Right. What is it?" Tak asked, straightening up and looking dignified.

"Hmm….. Do you mind if I borrow these SIRs?" Zee asked, her grin returning.

"Take them!" Tak beamed. "They're so annoying!"

"Mistress-" MiMi began.

"What are your coordinates?" Tak asked, as she placed the tiny SIRs into teleporters. "I can beam them up now!"

"Mistress-" MiMi began again.

"They've been nothing but trouble, do you want GIR too?" Tak said breathlessly.

"MISTRESS!" MiMi bellowed. Tak looked up in alarm.

"I want to keep my children, thank you very much." She said, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Uh… MiMi?" Zee asked hesitantly. MiMi turned to glare at her.  
"If GIR would come with me, would you be willing to part with them for a few hours?"

MiMi continued to glare at her. "I literally just met you!"

"Hey, you two!" Zee cried, looking beyond MiMi. The SIR units skipped over to her.

"Wanna play a game? The winner gets cookies." Zee grinned.

MiMi facepalmed as they nodded furiously.

"All right. GiGi, MiRR, go to the teleporter." MiMi sighed. GIR giggled and jumped into the pod as well, landing on top of MiRR.

"GIR! Your son!" MiMi cried.

"Ah like it!" came MiRR's muffled reply.

MiMi sighed. "You know, I could use a break from them." She punched in the coordinates as Zee recited them to her, and the SIRs disappeared, reappearing in Isidar's cockpit.

"What did you do?!" Isidar exclaimed. "You know I hate GIR! And now there are more of him?!"

"Oh shush Issi." Zee said. She turned back to the screen. "Tak, I know you once tried to take over Earth, but I ask you now to help me save it."

"From who?" She asked.

"The Empire." Zee said seriously.

Tak burst out laughing. "Bwahahahahahaha! Wait, are you serious?" She asked, seeing Zee's expression.

"Yes." Zee growled. "And you will be working with Zim and Dib."

'B-b-What?" Tak sputtered. "Zim?"

Zim's face popped up on another screen. "Hello Tak. Miss me?" He smirked.

/

Zee yawned as the link was connecting. She had sent Zim to pick up Tak, much to his objection. She had shown him the SIR twins and threatened to teleport them to his ship. He agreed quickly and zoomed away. Zee had waited before sending GIR, and chuckled as she imagined his reaction to his SIR unit.

A small, cone-like alien appeared onscreen. He looked exhausted, with bags under his eyes. "Yes? This is Shloonktapooxis, who's callin' the Resisty?"

"This is Zee, of the Irken Empire. May I speak to the captain?" Zee asked.

"The EMPIRE?" Shloonktapooxis squealed and an alarm went off. He started screaming and freaking out, frothing at the mouth.

"Mr. Shloonktapooxis!" Zee cried. "I am not going to attack you! I am nowhere near you!"

"Oh, ok." Shloonktapooxis said, the alarms fading. "But why do ya wanna talk?"

"I must speak to the leader of the Resisty. It's about Lard Nar." Zee said.

"That's me!" Shloonktapooxis cried.

"Great…" Zee groaned. "Ok, I am the heir to the Empire-"

"The EMPIRE?" Shloonktapooxis screamed.

**"**Good Irk…" Zee groaned.

/

After a few long hours, Zee finally had the Resisty on her side. She had strained herself talking to Shloonktapooxis until a fellow Resisty member walked into the communication room. He had been shocked to see Zee, and even more shocked to hear her plan. She told him that Lard Nar might be on the Massive, and that she would rescue him if the Resisty joined her. The worker had called a meeting, and they agreed, as they were desperate for their leader. Most of the crew was suspicious, but as Shloonktapooxis was leader, and he liked the puppet show the SIR twins had shown him, he agreed. She had learned that the Planet Jackers had joined the Resisty recently, and had asked quickly if they agreed too. Shloonktapooxis had nodded vigorously, and she took it as a yes.

A hooded alien glared at Zee as she closed the link.

Zee sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"Mistress?" Isidar asked. Zee turned to her screen, where Isidar was sitting in hologram form. "Do you honestly think this will work?"

"Lemme see… I have Tak, Hail, GiGi, MiRR, GIR, MiMi, Nikki, Purple, Zim, Dib, the Resisty, the Planet Jackers as well as the Meekrob on the defense, and Professor Membrane on Earth for Plan B. Also, if anything interrupts Gaz in her game, she'll kill him. What am I missing?" Zee said, pretending to think.

"Oh yeah. And me." She grinned evilly, her blue eyes flashing.

/

Isidar and Zim's ship zoomed through space, slowing when they saw the Massive Zee glared at it and began pressing buttons very quickly.

/

Inside the Massive…

"I can't believe you lost her!" Red snarled, pacing in front of a trembling Yawe. He had taken the form of a tall Irken with green eyes, and he looked terrified.

"Sir, I made absolute certainty that-" He began tentatively.

"Then why," Red growled, leaning over him. "Did she escape? And with Purple and four other traitors!"

"Sir, I-"

"I thought when I made you the Purple Noid that you would take more responsibility!" Red snapped, beginning to pace again. "That you could be the leader he could never be!"

"Master, I-"

"Yet you could not keep the simplest order!" Red cried furiously. "Keep the girl contained! YOU!" He pointed to a terrified attendant. "Get me a snack."

The attendant nodded and bolted away.

"I should finish you right now." Red rounded on Yawe again.

"Master, please!" Yawe cried.

Before Red could continue, the attendant appeared at the door. "My Tallest, I have urgent news." He said.

"Where is my snack?" Red snapped. The attendant handed him a bag of donuts and continued.

"Sir, we have a call from Xenial."

Red froze, a donut halfway to his mouth.

/

Zee tapped her claw on the dashboard impatiently. Red's face appeared onscreen, glaring at her.

"Hello Uncle." Zee said pleasantly.

"Came to gloat Xenial?" Red sneered. "You got lucky, we will find you."

"I have four things to tell you. Number one, my name is Zee." She glared at him, counting on her claws. "Number two, I want to be found. Number three, it wasn't luck, it was because of your pitiful crew."

Red growled at her, but she took no notice. "Number four, I love to gloat." She grinned as Red fumed.

"What do you want?" Red growled.

"Earth's safety. And my PAK." Zee said, crossing her arms.

"Ah yes." Red said, smirking. "I have it in my possession now. I would hate to destroy it, as it proves very interesting."

Zee glared at him, and he continued. "I am conducting experiments on it now, so that your defection does not happen again."

"How is it a defection that I can live without a computer strapped to my back?" Zee asked.

"It's not NATURAL!" Red boomed. "Irkens are made for power and control, not a simple mammal!"

"So…. I'm not getting it back?" Zee asked.

"Never." Red said, his eyes narrowing.

"Very well. GIGI! MIRR! SEND THE SIGNAL!"Zee bellowed.

"YES MA'AM!" They cried, and they pressed a shiny button.

The Resisty ship deactivated it's cloaking shield, and it was revealed to be very close to the Massive. Surrounding it was Isidar, Zim, Hail, and thousands of other Voots, all containing Resisty members, Meekrob and Planet Jackers.

"I hope you realize, this means war." Zee grinned, her smile evil and wide.


	10. Chapter 10

Irken Dib Finale 2

"Shloonktapooxis! Lead Alpha One to the left wing!" Zee cried, cutting off the link between her and Red.

The cone alien just smiled at her.

"Roger, Zee!" A Resisty attendant cried behind him.

"Alpha Two! Right wing!" Zee said, turning to a Meekrob general.

"Yes ma'am!" He cried.

The Alpha team zoomed to the Massive, firing lasers wildly. The Resisty ship followed, firing in a repeated pattern.

"Beta One! Take out the flagships! Beta Two, take out the snack pods!" Zee shouted. The Planet Hackers saluted her and sped off.

"Team Victory!" Zee said, turning to her biggest screen. Hail, Zone, Tak, Zim, Nikki, GIR, Purple and Dib stared at her.

"We're going in." Zee smirked.

"YAY! WE'RE GONNA DIE!" shouted GIR.

/

"What an amazing adventure that was!" Zim said, helping Purple out of his destroyed Voot. The other Irkens nodded in agreement.

"Who knew that a radioactive pig could cause such a big explosion?" Hail wondered aloud.

"And send Venus into the sun?" Zee murmured, shaking her head to brush out the black spots.

"Well, we're here." Tak said, glancing out the window. Outside, the Resisty was putting up a great fight against the Irkens, and loud booms echoed through the large chamber they were in.

"All right." Zee said, clapping her hands. She turned to the SIR units and barked at them in Irken. They giggled and flew away.

She turned to Purple, Tak and Nikki, again speaking in Irken. Purple immediately stuck to Nikki.

Dib blinked, confused. "What's she saying?" He asked Zim. The Irken ignored him and nodded to Zee, then ran after Purple, Tak and Nikki, who were racing for the exit.

Zee gave Hail, Isidar and Zone a few more orders. They nodded (except Zone, who yawned) and followed her as she bolted away.

"WAIT! WHAT DO I DO?" Dib called, as he wasn't given a job.

"Be adorable, I don't care!" Zee called over her shoulder.

Be adorable? Dib thought. She thinks I'm cute?

No, she obviously meant the trash can was adorable. Idiot. Gangali muttered.

I hate you.

Oh no, the agony! Dib doesn't like me! Gang said in mock horror. Dib was sent a picture of a fainting Irken in his mind.

Shut up.

Wait... Do you care if she meant you?

No. Dib thought quickly.

You can't lie in your head, Dib. It's mentally impossible.

GO AWAY!

Dibbeh and Zee, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-

SHUT UP!

/

Hail and Isidar followed as fast as they could, but Zee seemed to be unstoppable. Zone simply floated next to them, his projection pod running on wheels.

"Fleshies." He snickered.

Isidar glared at him as he smirked.

Zee raced through the hall, stopping at the control room door. She turned back to Hail and Isidar, a serious expression on her face.

"You know what to do." She said, and turned back to the door. Hail and Isidar glanced at each other, and bolted down the hall, Zone wheeling lazily behind them.

She pounded the great door with her fist.

"RED! OPEN UP, YOU MISERABLE SWINE!" She screamed. Her PAK legs opened up and shot the door with blue lasers, and the door fell open. Red looked up from a bag of donuts. He seemed to be watching the war on the main screen.

Zee screeched and lunged for him. She knocked him to the ground, clawing at him with her sharp claws. "GIVE. ME. BACK. MY. PAK!" She screamed, clawing his face with every word. Red yelled and two Irken attendants grabbed Zee and pulled her off the Tallest. He snatched a cloth from a servant and pressed it to his face, green blood staining the red fabric.

"You DARE attack a Tallest?" He snarled. Zee spat at him.

"Give me back my PAK, and I'll call off the war." Zee growled at him.

"What war? We're winning!" Red said, pointing outside.

"Red, your snacks are floating in space." Zee said, pointing her antennae. Red turned around to see clouds of donuts, pastries and fried foods float over the battlefield.

"What?" He gasped. "What happened?"

"The Meekrob, Jackers, and Resisty are on my side, UNCLE." Zee smirked.

"You miserable little defect." Red growled, rounding on her. "You should have died when I snapped off your PAK. But you lived. How did you live?!" He cried, slapping her face.

"Oh my dear Uncle." Zee smirked through the pain. "I'm invincible. Oh GiGi! MiRR!" She sang in a horrible sing-song voice.

The twins burst out of a trash shoot, holding a boom box. They threw it on the floor and began to dance horribly. Red stared at them in disbelief.

"Exactly what does this accomplish?" He asked, turning to Zee.

"DISTRACTION!" She screamed, throwing off her guards. Hail, Zim, Tak and Isidar appeared in the doorway, holding laser guns. The Massive guards pulled out their own guns, pointing to the Irkens.

"Don't shoot!" Nikki cried, popping up behind them. "Look!" She pulled Purple into the doorway.

The guards gasped and kneeled to their Tallest.

"No! Shoot them!" Red cried. "Obey me!"

"Red has been lying to you!" Zee said, pointing at Purple. "He imprisoned his own Tallest, and myself! He ripped off my PAK!" She turned around, revealing the two gaping holes in her back. The guards looked confused, some pointing their guns at Red, some at Purple, others just aimed their guns at the floor.

"She's a defective! I was trying to dispose of her!" Red cried. "Her kind should not be allowed to live!"

"My defection is height and love." Zee growled. "I learned to love a simple human, the very thing you wanted me to destroy. And so I grew less and less attached to my PAK. I found that my thoughts weren't placed in files like they used to. I could think freely, without fear of being caught and classified as an Irken. I became fearless. But then you told Zim about his mission, I snapped. It felt as though my spooch was ripped from my body. And I realized, it wasn't my spooch that hurt. It was coming from here." She said, pointing to her chest. And I felt a strange pulsing thing throughout my body. I didn't really notice it at the time, I was so sad. But when I got my memory back, I remembered. I had a heart." She turned to the stunned guards. "My heart kept me alive when my PAK was ripped off. What this bastard calls a defection," she said, pointing to Red. "I call an improvement. Hail."

Hail jumped and stared at her in surprise.

"He's a defect too. He's blind, but he has the best reflexes an Irken can ever have." Hail blushed furiously and cleared his throat.

"Tak here, is the most cunning Irkeness I have ever met. When she came to Earth, she blended in perfectly, and almost completed her self-appointed mission in a few days." Zee continued, and Tak's usually narrowed eyes widened in surprise.

"Zim is the best friend you can ask for, and is a great inventor." Zee smiled at Zim. He smirked and shouted, "I AM ZIM!"

"Nikki here, is the nicest smeet I have ever met." Zee said, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders. "She protected my uncle without question, and sacrificed her job to help her leaders."

"And my Dib." Zee said, a dreamy look in her eyes. "He never asked to become an Irken, yet he has become the bravest Irken I have ever met. He is risking his life right now to protect his planet. And his people don't even know it!" Zee sighed happily, and regained focus, her eyes a cold blue.

"But you." Zee growled, advancing on Red. "You beat me as a smeet. You ordered Yawe to possess me and torture Dib. You built a solid hologram of Zita to infuriate Dib, knowing he wouldn't be able to control his new emotions. You made him think I was a heartless, evil creature, when I wanted to help him. You sent your own psychelia to torture me." She held up her arms, where long scars were seen, barely healed from the burns. "You imprisoned your co-Tallest and attempted murder on the heir to the Empire. You are a cold-blooded and twisted creature, and you should not deserve to be in the company of such great Irkens."

The Irken guards began glaring at Red in turn, though others still looked confused.

"You are a defect, and there is no place for defects in the Empire." Red growled, shoving Zee to the floor.

"Then I'll make you a deal." Zee said, brushing herself off. "You give me back my PAK and call off the invasion of Earth, and I'll never come near the Empire again. However," she snarled, glaring at Red with so much hatred her eyes seemed to be on fire. "I want you to collect every single "defect" on Irk and anywhere else, and clear their charges. They will live as equals to the Empire, under my reign. They will not have to live in fear any longer. They will finally be free."

Red stood up, smirking. "There are no defects. They are not living in fear, they are DEAD. The Empire has no room for mistakes."

"Zim is the biggest mistake a living being could ever make!" Zee said, pointing to the tiny Irken.

"Hey!" He cried indignantly, but Zee ignored him.

"I'm a defect! You're a defect! Any-Irken who doesn't follow what the Control Brains assigned them to do is a defect! Any-Irken who has feelings is a defect! Any-Irken that thinks independently is a defect!" She cried.

The guards seemed to drink in what she said, and more and more of them turned their weapons to Red, who was shaking in anger.

"You actually believe her?" He hissed at the guards. "He," Red pointed to Zim with a shaking finger. "Nearly killed us all! HAS NO ONE REMEMBERED THAT?"

"Am I the only one here who is impressed by that?" Zim said casually.

"JUST LISTEN TO HIM!" Red cried.

Before Zee could retaliate, the ceiling opened to reveal a giant Control Brain.

It lowered itself down and hung menacingly over their heads.

"Uh oh…" Zee murmured.

"Oh Irk…" Red muttered.

**_"Irken Tallest Red, and Irken Ex-Smeetling Xenial. Your argument has disturbed us…"_** The Brains boomed.

"Great Brains, we had no such intention." Zee explained. "We were-"

"I didn't do anything!" Red said wildly. "It was her fault!" He pointed to a stunned Zee. "Punish her! Punish her!"

**_"SILENCE."_** The Brains hissed. Red froze.

**_"You think we knew not of what you yelled about_**?" The Right Brains said.

**_"We know all..."_** The Left Brains continued.

**_"And we intend to solve it, since the Tallest are too incompetent to figure it out themselves_**." The Middle Brains finished.

"Hey!" Purple and Red yelled indignantly.

**_"Irken Xenial has a point_**." The Brains continued. **_"These detectives are not a danger to the Empire."_**

"What about Zim?" Red said furiously.

The Brains began to spark and spoke in a weird tone. "**_ZiM iS tHe BeSt InVaDeR eVeR!"_**

"I forgot about that..." Red glared at Zim, who had puffed out his chest proudly.

**_"But Irken Tallest Red makes another point."_** The Brains continued, their voices back to normal. **_"The Empire has no room for mistakes."_**

Red turned to Zee, a triumphant smirk on his face.

**_"So we have decided to create a new law." _**The Left Brain said. **_"The defects will be separated from society and placed under Xenial's reign. They will live as a separate race from the Irkens, but allowed the same rights."_**

**_"Any abuse to this law,"_** the Right Brains continued. **_"For example, an assassination attempt from one race to another, will be severely punished."_**

"B-but that's not fair!" Red sputtered.

**_"You DARE question the word of a Brain?"_** The Control Brains boomed, their buttons turning a deep, blood red.

"N-no..." Red said quickly.

"Thank you Brain!" Zee cried.

A faint shouting was heard, and it seemed to be getting closer.

**_"What IS that?" _**The Brains said, confused.

"_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh_!"

"I think it's coming from the vents." Purple said.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Dib crashed through the ventilation shaft and landed on Red. **

"Dib!" Zee cried. "What the Irk are you doing?!"

"Ugh….. We got bored." Dib said, holding his head. "So I tried to come after you…"

"We?" Zee began.

"**_THIS is the Dib you were talking about?" _**The Left Brains asked incredulously.

"Er…. Yeah…." Zee said sheepishly.

"**_He's so dumb." _**The Right Brains whispered.

**_"And his head… Why is his head so big?" _** The Left Brains muttered.

Zee shifted from foot to foot anxiously, waiting for their reply. Behind her, Dib and Red were having an angry argument as Red tried to throw Dib off of him.

"**_Irken Xenial, we have reached a new conclusion." _**The Brains said ominously. "**_Your defects will still be under your reign, but they are not permitted to return to Irk or the Massive again. They will live, but not under the Empire."_**

"Where will we live?" Hail snapped at them. "Irk is our home!"

"**_That is not our concern. If every Irken is as idiotic as this Dib, then they have no place in the Empire. Irken Red."_**

Red finally threw Dib off of him and brushed himself off.

"**_The defects will not be harmed by the Empire, but they will be banished. Once again, if there is any dispute between the races, both will be severely punished. But," _** They continued, as Red was smirking horribly. "**_You will give Irken Xenial her PAK back, and you will leave planet Earth alone. Is that clear?" _**The Brains asked.

"Yes sir." Red said stiffly.

**_"And as punishment to you,"_** the Left Brains continued. "**_For attempted murder of Irken Xenial and imprisonment of Irken Tallest Purple, your psychelia will be executed._**

"What?" Red cried. "You can't! Yawe-"

**_"Tortured and possessed the same Irken. Did you think we forgot about that?"_** The Right Brains asked incredulously.

Red looked shocked.

**_"If you disobey us, you will pay the consequences. The execution will be held publicly in the Grand Hall tomorrow_**." The Brains said, and raised itself back into the ceiling and vanished.

Red snapped his fingers, and a robotic arm dropped a pink PAK from the ceiling. He caught it and threw it at Zee roughly. As he turned to the main screen, she clicked it on and sighed with relief. She seemed to gain strength from it.

"Retreat!" Red barked into a communicator. "Retreat, this is your Tallest. Retreat and head back to Irk."

"You heard the Brains." Red said, rounding on the guards. "Collect the defects! They are banished!"

"No!" Purple said, held back by two attendants as Zee was dragged away. "Zee!"

Zee and the others allowed themselves to be carried away (except the SIRs, who giggled and rode the guards like ponies, and Zim, who shouted and kicked). Before she was dragged out of sight, she caught Red's eye.

_This isn't over._ He mouthed.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Epilogue_**

The small band of Irkens and SIRs were ushered to the hangar, and Zee called off the battle. Soon they left the Massive and headed back to the Resisty. The SIR twins had been ordered, by Zee, to search the Massive for Lard Nar, with the promise of a cookie as a reward. They had unceremoniously shoved him into an escape pod to the Resisty mother ship. The little Vortian was dazed, but otherwise fine.

The Resisty crew thanked the Irkens and threw a party. GIR and the twins were the main entertainment, while Shloonktapooxis was DJ.

Zee rested by the side, looking pleased but tired.

Purple grabbed Nikki and Tak and began doing a ridiculous dance. Nikki joined him while Tak simply stared at them in horror. GIR kept dragging him to the center and dancing, but Zim yelled in protest and kicked the little SIR away.

Hail preformed a kind of karate-like routine, jumping over the crew and swinging some of his deadly swords. Zone did the robot, and became angry when the crew booed him.

Gangali took over Dib's mind and forced him to do the chicken dance in front of everybody. Soon the whole Resisty was dancing the chicken, and Dib and Gang laughed as the bigger aliens made ridiculous squawking noises.

After many hours of this, the little band of Irkens headed back to their cruisers, thanking the Resisty and dragging the twins away from the snack bar.

"Dad?" Nikki said softly as she and Zim shoved a snoring GIR into his Voot. The other Irkens were already in their cruisers and about to take off.

"Yes?" He said, slamming the door closed.

"I know you didn't want to leave me." She whispered, pretending to stuff GIR'S arm back inside. "You had no choice. I'm sorry."

Zim didn't reply. Nikki looked up to see a single, tiny tear at the corner of his eye.

"I was just mad at Mum." She said.

"Yes, Tenn can be so rude at times. That is why she is undeserving of ZIM!" Zim shouted, and jumped into his Voot.

Nikki sighed and smiled softly before jumping in next to him.

In the other Voots, Dib climbed into Isidar and sat down next to Zee.

"Where will you go?" He asked.

"Probably Earth." She shrugged. "It's been our home for a while; it'll be easier than finding another home."

"Our?" Dib said, confused.

"All of us. Zim, Nikki, GIR, Hail, Zone, Issi, you and me. Tak, MiMi and the twins too, if they want to stay." Zee replied.

"Will you change me back into a human?" Dib asked hopefully.

"That depends." She said, starting the Voot. "Are you human or Irken?"

Dib thought for a while before answering. "I guess... Irken. Plus Gang said he'd disappear if I became human again."

"Gang?" Zee asked.

"My psychelia." He said. "His name is Gangali, or Truth.

Zee grinned. "Gangali means _The Smarter One."_

_Gang!_

_What?_ The little voice replied.

Grinding his teeth as Zee laughed, Dib and the Irkens flew back to Earth.

**END**


End file.
